The Shift to Linux Operating Systems for IoT

IoT devices are considered embedded devices, which in short means a computer attached to something else, whatever that something else might be. This is in contrast with laptops, desktops, and servers, for which the computer in them is the end and not just the means.

While these terms are not formal terms, a common way to distinguish IoT devices from other embedded devices is by the presence of network connectivity. This means that IoT devices can talk to other IoT devices, or to your desktop, or to some server in the cloud.